AI Damage1996 Buick Skylark: common problems
Owners of the 1996 Buick Skylark filed 85 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 85
- involving a crash
- 7
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 21% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 18% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 18% of all complaints
- 4 Service brakes 16% of all complaints
- 5 Seat belts 9% of all complaints
- 6 Equipment 5% of all complaints
- 7 Visibility 5% of all complaints
- 8 Wheels 5% of all complaints
- Air bags: 18 complaints (21% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 15 complaints (18% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 15 complaints (18% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 14 complaints (16% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 8 complaints (9% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2.4 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 3.1 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 85 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 18 | 4 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Since I bought the car 01/17/97, I have had numerous problems: emergenchy/parking brake pops out when parking the car and putting parking brake on, brakes fail to perform properly and brake pads wear down excessivly, dash board (check engine, abs, ets, seat belt light blinks when wearing and doesnt blink when not…
I was involved in a rear collision with a 96 buick skylark which was struck from behind while at a complete stop, yielding traffic at a traffic circle. The car that struck me was at a relatively high rate of speed. The impact caused both the passenger and driver seats to collapse.
The braking system when applied would cause the vehicle to slide in the rain also, in dry weather it still would slide/jump/jerk and make a noise. Speed at 35 mph or les., dealer contacted two times, states it is the design, problem still exists.
Air bags: driving approximately 30mph when car ahead made an illegal turn, front ofconsumer's car hit the passenger's side of other car and neither air bag deployed.
Airbag deployment, on may 5 2016, 10 pm, went out to put windows up in car, vehicle was stationary,opened door, leaned in to turn on key, when I turned on key, heard loud explosion, two thoughts before I blacked out, thought I had been shot & what the hell was pulling me backwards so fast, came to in a few seconds…
The contact stated that the driver side seat belt was defective. The contact stated that the seat belt was installed backwards and there were two right hand seat belts in the vehicle. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Neither the speedometer nor the fuel gauge displayed accurate readings. The dealer stated that there were no recalls on the vehicle and that the repair would be the contact's responsibility. The contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number 02v070000 (electrical system:ignition:switch).
And it has been wet on several occasions due to failure of the door gaskets and rear window seal and possibly the trunk gasket. I feel that gm should pay at the least for the dealer to decide if the control box needs to be replaced or not .
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 3,931 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 11% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Skylark has 28 complaints (19 years in the data). This year has 85, above average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Other years of this model
- Skylark 19823 sources
- Skylark 19848 sources
- Skylark 19856 sources
- Skylark 19868 sources
- Skylark 198814 sources
- Skylark 19894 sources
- Skylark 199019 sources
- Skylark 199138 sources
- Skylark 199232 sources
- Skylark 199346 sources
- Skylark 199468 sources
- Skylark 199585 sources
- Skylark 199779 sources
- Skylark 199824 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1996 Buick Skylark?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, electrical system, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 85. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (11%), warning lights, check engine (7%), knocking, grinding or other noise (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1996 Buick Skylark?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1996 Buick Skylark from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1996 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.